There are journeys that are well planned and then there are those done on a whim. Infact, most of the time , the latter are the most fun because there is a sense of adventure  and excitement in the air. And this is exactly what Meenal & Ram, busy professionals from Bombay did….

On a whim, decided to head out to Malshej, the popular monsoon destination 140 kms from Mumbai.  Knowing that the only place worth staying over is the Flamingoes Resort, run by MTDC that gets booked four months in advance, it had to be a day trip.

The lure of driving through clouds, soaking in a waterfall and watching flamingos take off in synchronized flight was too much to resist! So we grabbed a few essentials, had a hearty breakfast (and thank God for that) and hit the road by 10:45 am (too late a start for a 300 km round trip, but better now than never). What followed was a crazy and yet awesome day! We did drive through the clouds (and was it great or what!), didn’t soak in a waterfall (there was no place to change into dry clothes again), nor see the flamingos (horrendous roads ate into our time), but had a lovely time simply drinking in the beauty of this piece of heaven and walking hand in hand into the mist.

After what seemed an eternity, we finally hit the ghat road (and with that the bad road stretch ended too).  This has to count among the most scenic drives – lush greenery all around, innumerable waterfalls dotting the mountainside…

In fact there are waterfalls gushing by the roadside – so close that we could reach out and touch them!  The ghat road was full of waterfalls which were in turn full of picknickers frolicking in the water! There are even spots where you actually drive through water falls – there was this spot where the water descended in torrents onto the road from an overhanging ledge above, creating a curtain of water to drive through!  Ofcourse, we drove through it windows rolled down!

And finally, we had reached…The resort sits atop a small plateau, at the edge of a cliff looking into the valley.  The place is mesmerising.  Tall cliffs rise to touch the clouds all around and as we watched a thick cloud engulfed the whole place, including us, reducing visibility to barely a few metres!  We were literally ‘walking in the clouds!’  Not to waste the opportunity M and I let loose our cameras – there were several photo-worthy landscapes begging to be shot!

The hour that we had slotted to spend here quickly merged into the next and before long, it was time to turn back.  Promising to return soon, we headed back..

Diwali or Deepvali is only a few days away.. 26th Oct i am sure is marked on your calendars and you are all set to celebrate!

Deepavali or Diwali is one of the biggest festival of Hindus, celebrated across the country and by Indians abroad as well.  The ‘Festival of lights’ brings about joy and happiness, a sense of belonging and a day for new beginnings as well. Skies are lit with Firecrackers, houses are cleaned and lit with diyas and candles, everyone is seen wearing new outfits, sharing sweets and love…

The festival of Diwali is never complete without exchange of gifts. People present diwali gifts to all near and dear ones. It is time to go Gift shopping and in case your loved ones are miles away, you can create customised photo books or notebooks and ship it out to them, completely free.. Simply use the Coupon code mentioned in the image below and enjoy the festival…

Snapfish wishes you a Very Happy Diwali/Deepvali!!

Diwali, the Festival of lights is not far off. Another few days and we are all set to bring in the day with new clothes, sweets & savories, firecrackers and ofcourse gifts. The day when people visit family and friends, exchange wishes and gifts is the most popular among Indian Festivals.

We at Snapfish bring to you a few gifts to add light to your celebrations. We are offering a few of our products at a discounted rate just for you.

Wouldnt it be fun to take a picture of your entire family and send it as a greeting to those who live far away? Or maybe create photo cards to place on the gifts you give your friends or extended family members?

Imagine the surprise look on their faces when they see how much effort you have put into the gifts and cards… Bring out the celebrations in style!!

Do share with us how you celebrated Diwali…

In India, festivals are given so much importance and there are a lot of activities and rituals associated with each of them. One such festival that just went by was the Durga Puja. Celebrated with a lot of life and buzz, the festival lights up the state of West Bengal, Specifically Kolkata [Calcutta as it was known earlier]. 

Sandip Kundu, an IT professional takes us through the experience with these photographs captured during the festive season…

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people,

you might better stay at home.” – James Michener

While travelling and wandering around new places, it is always fun to observe, cherish and capture the beautiful sights and scenes.  It could be a pillar or a simple poster, or maybe a child playing along the street, but these little things make such a world of difference when we look back on the journeys.

Vishesh Unni, a CA student and an avid blogger who loves weaving beautiful poems with words shares with us some of the shots he had taken when exploring temples and streets across new and familiar towns.

African Violet- A burst of pink from amidst the dark leaves..

Demigod- Statue of a demigod. Shot at Nelliappar temple, Tirunelveli

Lamp and grains

There is so much to see and explore around our own backyard, that one lifetime sometimes does not seem enough. Anita, a HR consultant and Trainer took a trip down a familiar road to explore a few places that she has passed by often and yet not visited.

Jalakanteswara is a beauteous Temple located in Vellore. Jalakanteswara means “Lord Shiva residing in the water”. This was built in the Vijayanagara  style of Architecture in 1556. . The temple has a beautiful Kalayana Mandapam. The carvings in this pillared hall are some of the most impressive in India. The outer pillars have sculptures of rearing horses and dragons. The inner pillars have sculptures of yalis, which are lion-like creatures.

Especially in the pillars and columns. The architectural style is reminiscent of the Hampi/Halebidu Temples .Quite a few travelers who have been to Hampi and Halebidu have pointed out the similarities. This could be on account of the fact that the Naiks who built the temple were chieftains under the Vijayanagara Kings

The Temple is housed in a fairly large premise. The Gopuram when viewed from outside stands tall, majestic and awe inspiring like a good South Indian Temple should.

It is contrasted with the open blue sky.  A sight to behold indeed. The Temple is inside the Vellore Fort, which is another place worth visiting. For a long time the Temple was used to store arms/granary. The Fort has some really beautiful Carvings and Sculptures in it.is a large 16th-century fort situated in Vellore city near Chennai, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The Fort was at one point of time the headquarters of the Vijayanagara Empire. The fort is known for its grand ramparts, wide moat and robust masonry. It has Statuettes, Wooden

Carvings, it even has burial urns of different types. Unfortunately these relics are not properly protected both in terms of security and in terms of protection from the forces  of nature. The Wooden Carving are really exquisite. The detailing and effort that has gone into it is testament to the artists of those times. Some of them bear resemblance to south East Asian faces.  Surprisingly they were some Hellenic Sculptures in Wood as well.

There are a quite a few monolithic sculptures displayed outside. one can only hope they don’t erode with time and exposure to the vagaries of nature. The fort and the temple have not really been given too much importance nor been promoted by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Board. But I would recommend both place , as it makes for a very interesting & rewarding visit.